Director: Simon Fellows
Writer: Jonathan Bowers, David L Corley, Jayson Rothwell (Screenplay)
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Julie Cox, Alan McKenna, Razaaq Adoti, Velibor Topic, William Tapley, Warren Derosa
Plot: The new military attache is also second in command at the US embassy in “Moldavia”. The loser at the recent presidential election isn’t letting that stop him. The president seeks protection at the US embassy bringing it under attack.
Tagline – It’s time to take charge!
Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Simple Van Damme Action
Story: Second in Command starts after the new President as been elected in Moldavia, the problems and protest start with the losing candidate Anton Tavarov (Topic) isn’t taking the defeat lying down. Commander Sam Keenan (Van Damme) is called in to protect the new President by taking him to the US Embassy, which soon comes under attack.
As the battle from the outside continues, Sam must do his best to remain in control on the inside, which isn’t going as planned as Frank Gaines (Tapley) should be in control after the ambassador is killed during the assault.
Thoughts on Second in Command
Characters – Commander Sam Keenan is a military man called in to help with the crisis in Moldavia, he takes control of the situation knowing his way will save the most lives, though it isn’t long before he must fight from within to remain in control and bring the situation to an end. Michelle is a journalist and one of America’s most famous, she is involved in a relationship with Sam which only makes his decision-making process more difficult. The rest of the characters include the military men, the two presidential candidates who are at war with each other and the paper pusher believing he is in power.
Performances – There are certain films Jean-Claude Van Damme can do in his sleep, this is one of those type of films, he gets to show off parts of his fighting skills, while not delivering the most convincing dialog. The rest of the performances are mostly forgettable fitting the level of movie this is meant to be.
Story – The story follows the battle between two presidential candidates with the loser of the vote wanting to take over from the winner with an American Commander coming to help keep the peace only to find himself in the middle of the battle. This story teases a lot of twists which almost feel like they get forgotten on the next page of the script, we should have seen a lot more focus on just which one of the candidates is n the right instead of giving us a bland boring villain who goes completely by the book. This is a story that you will be able to watch late night on TV but not one that you will need to give your full attention too.
Action/War – The action in the film is all around the war side of the film, it shows how the two sides are planning and fight to gain or keep the ground.
Settings – The film is set in the US Embassy as the surroundings which is simple enough, it shows how escape isn’t possible, but getting in isn’t going to be easy either.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are used to show us just how the war moments are created, they are simple without showing the true effects of the injuries.
Scene of the Movie – Final fight.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Most of the supporting characters are forgettable.
Final Thoughts – This is a simple basic action film, it offers nothing new and misses too many opportunities to improve the quality of the film.
Overall: Basic and Bland.
Rating
